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When Patrick McKinney of New Market was 15 years old, he was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, a disease of the large intestine that causes tiny open sores in the lining of the colon.
And McKinney's 18-year-old son, Christopher, was diagnosed with the disease when he was 10 years old.
According to the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America's Web site, the inflammatory diseases can complicate sufferers' lives, delaying growth in children, causing sexual complications and emotional distress in addition to the physical discomfort associated with the disease.
McKinney has decided to do something to help himself, his son, and other sufferers of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, another disease affecting the gastrointestinal tract similarly, by joining with the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America in raising money for research into the cause and treatment of the disease.
This has led him to participate in foundation-sponsored events such as half marathons — he plans to run the "Wine Country Half-Marathon" from Napa to Sonoma, Calif. on July 19 — but he also recently sponsored an event closer to home.
On Saturday, he packed Jo's Lounge in Monrovia with music fans eager to help his cause, and raised $700 for the foundation. "Jo's was gracious enough to allow us to use the space," he said.
Project X, which McKinney sang and played guitar with at the benefit, was the first band that took the stage. They played for a small, but enthusiastic crowd at about 3 p.m.
Serving up classic rock tunes, the first three songs the band played all shared one thing in common: in honor of July 4th, the band played three songs with America in the title: "American Woman," "American Girl," and "We're an American Band."
"It's kind of our theme," said Paul Auchincloss, the band's drummer.
Christopher joined his father on stage to add yet another guitar into the mix, as they continued to play a mix of rock hits from Tommy Tutone, The Black Crowes, Bon Jovi and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
As the evening progressed, the crowd grew larger, McKinney said. By the end of the evening, Jo's Lounge was packed, and the fundraiser was drawing in cash from patrons paying the $10 cover and buying raffle tickets.
The bands that followed Project X continued to entertain with original songs and covers. The Booby Traps played a jazz-fusion set, mostly consisting of original compositions, McKinney said.
The HalfShell Band, McKinney's main band, played last, also offering up renditions of classic rock tunes.
McKinney said he considered the evening successful, having raised $700 for the foundation. "All that was raised by donations and the cover charge," he said.
For information on Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis fundraisers and research, visit www.ccfa.org.
E-mail Christian Brown at chbrown@gazette.net.
